The production line at Tanmiah Food Co.’s chicken processing plant in Saudi Arabia’s Shaqra town.
Photographer: Maya Anwar/BloombergChickens Hatch Across the Saudi Desert in Kingdom’s Pivot From Oil
The petrostate is spending billions of dollars to bolster its poultry business for greater food security.
The highway leading west from Saudi Arabia’s capital city weaves through reddish dunes in the Ad-Dahna Desert, where summertime temperatures can surpass 50C (122F). About two hours into a drive, a cluster of modern, factory-style buildings materializes through the heat haze.
This remote region, known as Shaqra, is a hub in the petrostate’s blueprint to breed more chickens and be the foremost farmer in the Middle East. A local processing plant owned by Tanmiah Food Co. handles about 150,000 birds a day to supply McDonald’s, Popeyes and Subway outlets, among others.